The Abyss Stares Back

Dreams, Part II

12

DEC/16

The world that we end up in is a post-apocalyptic version of Teufeldorf, in the midst of a monster uprising. The city is ruined and filled with evil. We are immersed in the fiction of the vision, and we know that we are leading three human survivors to a safe house at the old church of Lathander, where Mortimer and Sasha are sheltering people from the monsters.

On the way, we can see the remnants of a tavern on the next street over, where four vampires are attacking a group of survivors. One is already bitten, one is being held by the throat, one is trying to hold them off with a holy symbol and one is cowering near the door. It doesn’t seem to be possible to save all of them without putting our current survivors at risk, so we decide to save the boy near the door and the holy symbol wielder by hurling a knife through the window and opening the throat of one of the others, driving the vampires into a frenzy.

We continue on to the church but find the door ajar when we get there. It seems like the place might be compromised, so we stash the survivors in a nearby silo and then go inside. Mortimer is kneeling by the altar, but when we get to him it is obvious that he is dead, since his head falls almost completely off. Yikes.

At that moment, Sebastian strolls in through the front door flanked by Camille and a vampiric Sasha. He tries to make some small talk but Milosh runs him through with a sword. Fight!

Sebastian has a really bad time and Milosh finally puts him down. Camille cries because Sebastian is dead, and Milosh suddenly sees him as Anneliese. Everyone is sad, but also everyone is also happy that Sebastian is dead. Everyone. I find Sebastian’s signet ring in his dust, which will allow me to silence a battle or a something for a short while.

Back to the hub! And then off into Milosh’s dream, which is of course in a ruined road warden camp. We explore the fort for a while. It appears as if everyone just up and left. Purple smoke drifts across the sky from somewhere. In the building, we run into Abalescu, who has become even more ravager-like in the dream. He says that we will soon be like him, and then purple smoke begins to pour down from the fireplaces, causing us to choke until we escape the building.

But then it gets worse. A horde of ex-wardens pours down the mountain towards the fort, screaming with rage. Fight!

The road wardens work surprisingly well together (and they have crazy flags with them that are even more puissant), but we still defeat them. Back to the hub, where we gain a new level and a galaxy basalt slab leading to Lamoracanthus’s castle.